Setne Never Changes
by Nicole di Angelo
Summary: Jen has been training at Brooklyn House for7years, but she still hasn't chosen a path yet. A diviner tells her she will be even more powerful than the Kanes if she chose the right path, but what is the right one? Will she survive long enough to find out?
1. Chapter 1

**********WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE SERPENT'S SHADOW*********DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY READ THE SERPENT'S SHADOW***********

**This is a story I **_**really**_** wanted to do that takes place after the Serpent's Shadow. The crossover part wouldn't come until several chapters later, and even then, it's still not a total crossover. There's just some slight mentions of PJO. The first chapter will explain lots of things. Not a Mary Sue. Please tell me if it is one and I'll rewrite it. Sadie and Carter now are 38 years old. The tone of this story is humorous…intentionally and unintentionally…I think that's all… Now on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kane Chronicles, though Jennifer S. List is my OC. So are Mia and Lucas…**

**J**

**E**

**N**

**N**

**I**

**F**

**E**

**R**

I know Sadie and Carter said there wouldn't be more recordings, but no story ends happily ever after. Not even this one. So this is what happened. It may not be as important as Chaos taking over the world, but it almost got the gods to do whatever a magician felt like. Not just any magician, either. Setne, the ghost that tricked Carter and Sadie so many times. [Mia is now grumbling about him. Please ignore her-ow! My poor arm! Your punches hurt!]

Okay, back to topic. Setne got captured, and Ammit gladly ate his heart, but a magician (who escaped Antarctica, no less) has managed to summon his shadow and bring him back. In spirit form, at least. I've tried to get Mia and Lucas to tell me his name, but neither will. Super stubborn. [We talked about this. You'll get your chapters soon enough. Both of you! Now, please let me talk]

The gods retreated into the heavens for 14 years **[A/N: I know it has to be longer, but this is an AU. Amos also retired early. I think those are the only things that are different],** and now they're in the mortal world once again.

I suppose every story (or recording) has to have an introduction. I am Jennifer Sakura List, and I have dirty blond hair and electric blue eyes (or so people tell me). It's usually in a ponytail, except for some circumstances. I like destroying clay shabtis (destroying them, mind you, not making them) and annoying Mia and Lucas. It's a fun game. [Thanks! I try my best to be annoying!] I joined the Twenty-First Nome when I was five years old, and I'm now 12. That will change. Oh, and this is…what? 20 years? No, 26. This is twenty six years after the fight with Apophis. I'd like to say things have settled down, but they haven't. The evil, plotting, backstabbing ghost is back, and so are the gods. Though they're fun to talk to, unlike Setne, who forces you to listen to him. As for my family…Well, it's not easy being the daughter of Thoth, or someone acting as the eye of Thoth. People expect you to be wise, good at reading hieroglyphics & acing every single subject in school, and knowing all the history of ancient Egypt, godly and mortal. The thing is, I'm not. Honestly, the path of Horus sounds better than the path of Thoth, or even the path of Isis. Of course, that's not what my parents would expect. After all, my mom is very much into the knowledge department on the path of Thoth, and my dad, well he is Thoth. Or the eye of Thoth. Their personalities are so alike it's hard to tell. The path of Osiris would be nice. Books and scrolls. I fell asleep. ADHD much? I might have slight ADHD, though not much, but still enough to make me hate the path of Thoth. Sorry for those random facts. That was my slightly ADHD mind. Now that intro's over, back to today.

I woke up in my room and immediately got ready for today. It was my birthday, after all. I wore a simple black linen T-Shirt and back jeans. All non-animal products, of course [No, Mia, I didn't comment on your clothing choice, so please don't comment on my (note the sarcasm), and I'm not going to a funeral]. Today, I turned 13! So I'm not 12 anymore, ha! I know this is not a happy time, but for today, I was determined to push all my worries aside, including my indecision to choose the path of a god.

I went downstairs to breakfast and was greeted by Mia and Lucas. They're cousins, and not much alike. Mia, who has wavy black hair and amber colored eyes, follows the path of Nut. A friendly warning: she does not appreciate people making fun of her patron goddess. Don't even try. [Mia is asking when I got so wise. Well, I am the daughter of wisdom, after all. That sounded good!] Back on track. She is a diviner and also channels the powers of the sky, like lightning and winds. She is the daughter of Carter and Zia. After listening to the three recordings of Carter and Sadie, I think Carter and Zia are so cute together. [You should interrupt me less often. Just follow Lucas's example! And no, I don't think following the path of Hathor is my destiny]. Speaking of Carter, he is now Chief Lector of the House of Life, and Sadie governs the Twenty-First Nome, though she handed leadership to Mia and Lucas because she wants them to learn to be good leaders at an early age (horrifying thought). Sadie still handles the more important issues, but the rest, like teaching initiates, is up to those two. Mia is usually nice…Though not always…especially when it concerns "I'mun", her favorite invisibility spell, being used by some other initiate to steal cookies. [Maybe I tried that. Once. Or twice] Mia, like her aunt, also likes to use Divine Words when attacking unfortunate demons. She teaches problem solving one on one as well as duels, which is fun to watch.

Lucas, on the other hand, follows the path of Horus, so naturally he's a combat magician. He has caramel hair, just like Sadie, and chocolate brown eyes like Walt/Anubis. He teaches combat training sessions with the help of Julian, a former initiate (well, Lucas is just 12 years old, after all).

"Hello, people!" I said happily. Well, I was happy.

"Jen, sit down," Lucas said tiredly, as if he had just heard some bad news, which he probably did. Another thing about me: Like Jaz, if anyone ever called me Jennifer, I will unleash my full collection of shabtis, amulets, and other things best left unmentioned on that truly unfortunate person. (Of course, if anyone called me Jennifer right now, they shall suffer the wraith of…Never mind, I'll get to that later, but just know that they will very deeply regret it. I know way more tricks now than I did back then). The name sounds way too girlish for my likings. The other initiates sat and ate in silence, as if affected by Lucas's mood. On my birthday.

I sat down. Breakfast consisted of waffles and eggs. We ate the breakfast in silence. Finally, Lucas spoke up. "Sadie, Mia, and I have been talking about the escaped ghost and the evil magician dude." So much for not worrying on my birthday. Lucas, seeing the uneasy glances around the room, hastily reassured them. "They want to bend the gods to their will, and some magicians are starting to believe this. Unfortunately and fortunately, the magician who brought Setne back is as smart as the ghost himself, so they will try to outsmart each other and everybody else." Forget I ever said that. Maybe Lucas isn't the reassuring type. More like the pessimistic type. [It's very much true, so stop complaining and let me finish your speech].

Whispers broke out. The atmosphere was not a happy one. The 5 year olds are not getting it, but even they sensed that something was wrong.

"How can they do that?" Felix, a magician following the path of Nephthys **[A/N: Well, she's a river goddess, so I think she has control over the different forms of water, and I searched a lot to see if there's an Egyptian God/Goddess of ice. I haven't found any so far], **asked.

"They have the book of Thoth." Mia joined in.

Cleo, following the path of Thoth, was outraged. "They're using Thoth's book! It better not be destroyed! Or damaged!"

Sadie managed a smile. "We'll get it back." She glared at Lucas. "Won't we?"

"Mia and I will be going on a quest to get rid of the magician and the ghost. Sadie and Walt/Anubis can stay here and keep the initiates safe. Carter says he'll send magicians if we need help."

"You guys will be going alone?" Sadie didn't sound convinced, even after the talk they had.

Mia hesitated for the first time. "Well…No. We will be taking another person as well." Who would that be?

"We'll take Jen." I gasped. Me? Why me? I didn't even choose a path of a god yet! Even after 7 years.

Apparently the other pupils were thinking (and whispering) that as well.

"Go to your classes," Lucas raised his voice. "Jen, stay here for a moment, will you?"

I nodded, and waited as the last of the magicians-in-training filed out of the room. "Why choose me?"

Mia's eyes were troubled. "I…the future…is really unclear right now, but I sense you'll play an important role in defeating the duo."

"I don't understand. What's so special about me?"

"For one thing, your family bloodline is…complicated. It makes you more powerful than even the Kanes…Than us…If you chose the right path." I could tell Mia was uncomfortable with this. Sadie and Lucas were avoiding eye contact with me too.

"What do you mean? You guys are descended from two royal bloodlines. My father is the only one with the blood of the pharaohs. And second of all, how can I be more powerful than you? What's the right path for me?" I demanded.

"Your mother's side is…complicated." That's it. That's all they ever tell me. The only word they say when talking about my mother's side. Complicated. "As for the right path for you…That is for you to decide. Pick a path you like; I don't want to influence your choice by telling you the path that you would take in the future. If you choose that at all."

"So would this quest help me find which path to take?"

"Partially," Sadie cut in, saving Mia from uncomfortable silence, "now pack some stuff and get ready to leave."

"Today?" Things were moving at an unnatural speed. Suddenly it hit me. I have to go on a quest. Today. And save the gods…And become more powerful than the Kanes…That is, if I don't get myself killed first.

"Yes today," Sadie rolled her eyes. "Now, where do you plan to start looking for them?"

"They will most likely go for Thoth first, since he wrote the book." Lucas guessed. He hasn't become the Eye of Horus yet. Even so, that combat avatar was strong. My leg still hurt from that. Long story.

"How will those two bend the gods to their will?" I was curious, as usual.

"The Book of Thoth contains all they need to force a god/goddess to resume his/her original form and tell the ghost and the magician their secret name." Now Mia's patience was running low. Don't you just love annoying them?

"Wouldn't the gods blast them?"

Mia sighed, obviously trying hard to not let me get on her last nerves. "Just get ready, okay?"

"Sure." I agreed.

"You do know both of them will be expecting you three, right?" Sadie asked.

Lucas grinned. "What fun would it be if it was so easy? We're the Kanes."

"Good," Sadie nodded. "Just making sure. Carter says don't get killed."

"So nice of my dad," Mia rolled her eyes.

"Be ready at nine." Lucas told us, and the meeting was adjourned.

I walked up a flight of stairs and into my room. The walls were decorated black with silver Egyptian amulets. I think it looked cool, but _someone _[glares at Mia] thinks that my room would be great for a funeral to take place. [I know, but that was then…Now, maybe…Probably…Sorry I was confusing. Back to the story]. What's wrong with black? It's the sign of fertile soil along the Nile in ancient Egypt! Unless, of course, your walls are red, the sign of evil. Though that could be because you're following the path of Set. Personally, I don't think Set's that bad. I mean, he has a sense of humor, more or less. On the other hand, if I followed the path of Set, both my parents would kill me. They…ah, have a dislike for the Rockin' Red Reaper [Hey! It's a funny nickname! Why shouldn't I use it? You're no fun at all, Mia!] Please excuse my slight ADHD-ness [no, Mia, I do NOT have ADHD, just slight ADHD, which makes all the difference in the world]. All right. Let's see…black wall decorations, silver Egyptian amulets…Oh, and my wardrobe collection is quite…unique [Mia wanted to say it's depressing. Not true at all!]. Well, I like black colored stuff, so that's basically what I have in my closet. But I'm creative. Silver highlights in my hair to go with those outfits? Why not? (please don't say the obvious). Besides that, my room's pretty plain. It's not boring, just plain [All right, we agree to disagree, okay? Now please don't interrupt me anymore…].

I packed spare changes of black linen clothing, my wand, staff (with the head of a tiger on it…For now…I'll get a better one later in the story…), ink & papyrus, wax, shabti collection, stylus, magical chalk, amulet collection (I made them, of course. Since I'm not following any particular path of any particular god, I basically tried to do every single specialty - elementalist [Now Lucas is grumbling about the accident I caused when I wanted to summon cheese. Let's just say that I got a little more cheese than I asked for], combat magician [I'm pretty good at that, minus the time, er, with the statue of Ra, which, uh, sort of, you know, crumpled when I accidentally touched- oh, fine, when I accidentally swung my khopesh at it. [In a combat avatar, of course. And not a very good combat avatar at that], healer [please don't get me started, Mia, at least I didn't try diviner], amulet maker [I was okay at that, though not as good as Walt]), which consisted of an amulet for summoning ravens, one for use as a shield wall, and another one for summoning LOTS of cheese-not to be used unless it's an emergency after the last big Cheese Accident, the khopesh in case I ever needed to turn another statue of Ra to dust, and the 4 mini statues of Horus's sons. All ready to go on a deadly quest. Somehow, that thought made me happy. I've been here, training for seven, no, eight years now, and now, finally, I can have some fun. Despite my attempts to make the stay at the Twenty-First Nome _fun_, it's still boring. I cannot deny the truth. Being cooped up here for so long…Well, it does wonders to your idea of "fun". [See, you agree with me on something. Mia!]. It just occurred to me that this is the perfect birthday present for me, in a way. It also occurred to me that this is not normal, but I'm not normal, even by magician standards. What normal magician nowadays would train for seven years and still not decide on which path to choose and which god/goddess to follow? That's right, none. Except for me. Hardly normal, if I must say so myself.

I took one last look at my room, having a feeling that I wouldn't be seeing it anytime soon, and went down the flight of stairs.

Mia was already waiting for me, her wavy black hair flowing over her shoulders and her amber eyes lined with kohl, as usual. She chose to wear a simple white linen dress, which, I decided not to point out, would make us stand out from the crowd (for once, I was nice, see?).

She nodded to me, apparently lost in thought. "Hey. We're just waiting for Lucas, and then we can leave."

"No, you're waiting for Zia and Carter too." Sadie suddenly appeared behind Mia.

"Why? Are they going with us?" Mia was incredulous.

"Of course not! This is a quest for you people alone, not us. I remember my adventures with Carter," Sadie mused, "he was so annoying, but it was fun. Almost dying. Oh, sorry," She noticed Mia's expression, which very obviously meant, "not helping, Aunt Sadie".

"Doesn't carter have work to do? As the Chief Lector and all?" I asked.

Sadie opened her mouth to answer, but just then, one of the portal sphinxes, well, swirled blue as a portal appeared. Carter and Zia stumbled out of it. Once again, I observed just how much Mia looked like Zia [hey, that rhymes! Mia and Zia! Mi-ouch! I'll stop]. Both had amber eyes lined with kohl, Black hair, and a very determined expression. Carter, on the other hand, was dressed in a tuxedo (really?) and blue pants made from linen, no doubt.

"Thank goodness you can summon a portal," Carter muttered to Zia, "otherwise it could get embarrassing. The Chief Lector who doesn't know how to summon a portal."

Zia rolled her eyes. Clearly they had this conversation before. "You just think of the place you want to go and imagine the portal swirling, leading you there. It's easy."

"Sure, I'm a combat magician, not hieroglyphic expert and annoying person. That's Sadie's job."

"Did I hear my name mentioned, brother, dear?" Sadie looked innocently at Carter.

"I said hieroglyphic reading was your expertise," Carter grumbled.

"Well, I thought you said something else," Sadie said.

Maybe the argument could have gone to dangerous grounds had Lucas not chosen that moment to walk in. Sadie's Ha-di spell was still as good as ever, if not even stronger. As for Carter, well, his combat avatar is a lot stronger than my [understatement? Maybe].

"Why… hi, aunt Zia. And Uncle Carter," Lucas hastened to add.

"Carter and Zia just want to wish the group goodbye." Sadie said as another portal opened on the other sphinx and Walt/Anubis walked out.

"I am on time, am I not?" His chocolate brown eyes frowned at the group.

"Late as usual, of course." Sadie rolled her eyes.

"Uh…So we go to Thoth's place first…" Mia prompted.

"Oh, sorry, yeah, but be careful. Setne…" Carter's eyes darkened. He didn't have any pleasant memories with the ghost. "He will try to persuade you. He is very, _very_ persuasive."

"And of course," Zia added, "they'll be expecting you. Watch out for traps.

"Would somebody please tell me the name of the mystery magician?" I asked, annoyed.

"George." Walt/Anubis spoke up.

"George?" The name didn't sound evil at all. Then I shook my head. What did I expect? Evil Magician? Traitorous person who raised Setne? Uh, I'll settle with George.

"He got sent to Alaska for siding Apophis, escaping once already, causing the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and killing Felix's penguins in the battle." Carter remembered. Remind me to never hurt Felix's penguins. Not that I ever did that. I think those penguins are cute.

"We'll get the Book of Thoth," Mia said, "don't worry."

"Too bad Bast is not here," Sadie muttered, "I wonder what she's doing now? Just wish I could see her again."

"There might be a chance," Carter mused. "I mean, the gods are allowed to walk the mortal world once more, aren't they?" He turned to Anubis/Walt.

"yes, though they still have to find a host." It's weird, looking into the Duat and seeing Anubis instead of Walt. They look so much alike, I wondered if it was because Walt was hosting Anubis or if Anubis's style influenced Walt. [sorry, ADHD again].

"We need to get going now," Mia interrupted, and the adults instantly looked guilty.

"Right, sorry. You better get going."

This time, Anubis spoke up. "I hope I don't find any of you in the Hall of Judgment…at least for a while."

"Anubis!" Sadie turned on him. "You are so insensible sometimes."

Anubis looked puzzled until Walt told him, in one of their mental conversations, how he was insensitive.

"What he meant to say is…he doesn't want any of you to die anytime soon," Walt helped Anubis.

"Well, nice to know," Lucas said drily.

"Excuse us, but we _really_ need to go now," Mia cut in again, looking more annoyed than before.

"Oh, yeah, right…we'll leave the talking to later," if it was possible, Sadie looked even more guilty.

"So…yeah…bye!" Mia said, and grabbed both Lucas's and my hand and summoned a portal on the _third_ sphinx in record time. Nothing like annoying parents to force you to break your own record. We jumped through the portal…and stumbled out of the baboon statue in Memphis (Tennessee, of course. My dad wouldn't change places. Not even after I talked to him). I shielded my eyes from the sunlight. Then I remembered my bag. Now that I thought about it, it would've been much easier to store it in the Duat. I closed my eyes and concentrated on shoving the linen bag into the Duat. My personal storage space is, well, a box. With a lid. Unlike Carter, I despise lockers. It worked. My bag disappeared. I staggered, exhausted. Like I said, I'm not very good at portal summoning or Duat storage.

Mia nodded approvingly. "Nice job."

Lucas looked at the sign. "Good. At least we're in Memphis."

"Thank you for your confidence in my portal summoning abilities," Mia replied. This was getting to be an old joke.

"Now, can we get to University of Memphis? Or are you guys going to argue all day?" Half of my tone was teasing, but the other half was dead serious. I just cannot take waiting. Maybe it's the ADHD, er, sorry, _slight_ ADHD part of me.

"We can take a car," Lucas decided, completely ignoring me.

Four and a half minutes later, we were in a convertible that Lucas, er, _borrowed_ from a nearby parking lot. Well, we were going to return it, so it's borrowed. With any luck, the poor guy's car may not be damaged. Too much. If there's no demons attacking…

I saw the pyramid long before I saw Thoth. It was a huge glassy black pyramid built on an abandoned sports arena. Or what used to be an abandoned sports arena. The field was now decorated with an outdoor barbecue area, as well as an assortment of guitars. The downside to the permanent home of a god: he tends to, er, personalize it. Thoth, ever since mastering the guitar (well, almost mastering it), has decided to take on percussion, trombone, French horn, and other instruments I couldn't name. (Well, I'm not an expert on musical instruments. The time I tried to play one in order to see if I was a child of Hathor [yes, Lucas, I actually did that], I had dreamed of me being a glorious musician, but what happened instead was that everybody covered their ears. Felix had to calm down his poor penguins. One passed out. I'll admit; my violin playing was a little bit squeaky. Thankfully Mia and Lucas weren't home. Otherwise they'd never let me hear the end of it. [Not now. We're recording, so ha! You cannot lecture me now!]).

I am sorry to say Thoth's playing is not as good as he likes to believe.

Besides the barbecue area and the area populated with instruments, each hovering slightly off the ground with a faint blue shield surrounding it. He doesn't want his instruments damaged by basketball crazy baboons, after all. The basketball court has expanded (no doubt by the requests of his baboon minions). Khufu would occasionally come here and play with his baboon buddies, and Carter would avoid them at all costs on those days. The grass was now lush and green, unlike when it was abandoned years ago.

Enough describing the surroundings of the pyramid. It's time I actually described the pyramid. [Huh, very funny. Today is not Opposite Day. I'm only describing the details because, admit it, my father's place is awesome. And cool.] What can I say? It's big, no, huge, no, scratch that, enormous. And simply amazing. (I'm acting more like a daughter of Thoth now, but don't get used to it.) The glassy black surface hummed with an aura of blue power, making it glow faintly. I thought it looked cool. The surface shimmered with glowing gold hieroglyphics, wrapping the pyramid protectively. It didn't need protection. Needless to say, the god of Wisdom had gotten more powerful. Or, as I like to think, the god of Wisdom has gotten wiser.

"Ready?" Mia asked us.

"No." I replied truthfully.

"Then let's go," Lucas grinned.

**Hope you liked it! And please review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Kane Chronicles or PJO**

The inside of the pyramid went through a major redecoration. We walked past a room with the latest top technological computers. The place had more advanced technology than anywhere else. Computers took up every single inch of wall in the room, each one showing writings in hieroglyphics and English. Computational equations took up a whiteboard three stories high, and somehow, he managed to install the scroll-down thingies on a whiteboard. I have no doubt it'll be over 6 stories high if it wasn't for the scroll down button. Then there's the library. It had everything from dusty ancient scrolls to modern new books. A special section was dedicated to Thoth's research topics, now all written into books with at least five hundred pages.

Another room hosted the kitchen. My dad had gotten quite good at cooking barbecue, actually. Now, if he could just improve those musical skills…super. Past the kitchen are all the science laboratories. Last time I counted, there were fifty of them, all doing different experiments with some extremely amazing and disturbing things. One pops up each week, doing a whole new experiment in a whole new field of study. Sooner or later, either the field of studies are going to run out, or space in the pyramid is going to run out.

In other words, paradise for a god with split personalities.

After a long walk, we finally reached his central headquarters. (I'm making this sound like the labyrinth. It's not full of traps…If you know where to step [reference to PJO, get it?**]**). Sofas, fluffy pillow, and comfortable armchairs were scattered all over the room. The soft clicking of the keyboards could be heard, made by ibises typing a research paper of some sort, no doubt. One title caught my eye particularly: _"The Physics of a god's Death"_. Somehow I doubt other gods would want to see that. It's morbid, and a little bit depressing. [No, thank you, Mia. I'd prefer not to be called Captain Obvious. The title belongs to the Chief Lector.]

I was so caught up on staring at the paper that I didn't notice Thoth in the room. (Well, for once, something was interesting).

That is, until he said, "Interesting. When did you change to the path of Nut, Sadie Kane?" [**A/N: Sadie Kane should be Sadie Stone now, but she kept her last name]**. My dad, ever since hosting the god of wisdom, has changed. It's a good thing he understood how dangerous continuously hosting a god can be, but he managed to do it all these years, resisting the urge to act all-powerful and getting burned up in the process…He's still sane and wise as always. His wisdom wasn't the only thing that changed. My father's sandy hair now had a wild Einstein look to it. Of course Thoth would adore mad scientists. His eyes now swirled with kaleidoscopic colors, making them hard to look at directly. I forced my eyes to stay away from the interesting research paper.

Today, Thoth (I'll just call him Thoth from now on, unless it's actually my dad talking/doing the action) decided to wear a T-shirt with the words "Harvard Rocks". He's in Memphis, Tennessee, not Cambridge, Massachusetts! Maybe Thoth is at the other school too, though this is just his central headquarters. Besides the T-shirt, he wore his usual outfit of jeans and a white lab coat.

"Um, Lord Thoth," Mia said hesitantly, "I'm not Sadie Kane. I'm Mia Kane, and this is my cousin, Lucas Kane."

"And me," I piped up.

Thoth raised an eyebrow. "Mortals really do age fast."

"That doesn't mean gods are not aging," I countered.

He laughed, "Of course, sharp tongued as always. You remind me of Sadie. Now, sit down." See? Very fatherly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I muttered.

"I suppose you guys didn't come here for a friendly chat? Nobody ever does." Thoth didn't sound sad at all. He brushed a hieroglyph off his sleeve, which fluttered to the groung and turned into an Egyptian calendar.

"No. Setne certainly wouldn't do that either." Lucas agreed.

"So you're here to ask about that tricky magician? After Amos died?" I winced. In the last encounter with Setne, something happened. Amos died during the battle, and another magician did something to capture the ghost. The people who knew what happened wouldn't speak, and the initiates never pressed them because it was an extremely touchy subject. He sounded like a good person, even if Set was his patron god. That was all Sadie and Carter told the initiates. They didn't even tell Mia and Lucas.

"He's on the loose again," Mia took a deep breath.

Thoth nodded enthusiastically. "Go on, you on the right track."

"And he has your book. And George is with him."

"Like I said, knowledge has to be gained. I cannot just tell you how to defeat him. He is the trickiest genius on Earth. With George following him as second."

"That's all really nice, but how do we earn the knowledge?" My father could be very infuriating when it comes to the knowledge department.

"By learning, of course!" Thoth was beaming now. Weird.

"But you started this whole thing with the Book of Thoth! Wouldn't they come for you first?" Mia was losing patience fast.

Thoth waved the questions aside. "I'm a mortal now. The Book deals only with gods when they are not inhabiting a host. However, you do have a good point there, which is why I'm helping you."

"How?" Mia demanded.

"That, you'll have to work out yourself. Being a diviner…that's a hard path. But you manage it quite well, actually. And no, it's not imagination. What you saw…it's true."

Mia actually took a step back and stumbled.

"Sadie and Carter didn't tell you? Well, no reason to." Thoth mused.

"Wait a minute, now," I was getting lost. "Tell us what?" I said that just as Lucas opened his mouth to ask the same question.

Two heads turned to look at me. Mia's expression was troubled. Thoth…well, he looks like he's trying to solve an equation with me being one of the variables. I'll admit I'm kind of…Curious? Sharp tongued? Unpredictable? Unique? Weird? Abnormal? Or is it all six? I have no idea.

"Oh, nothing important," Thoth replied cheerfully. Unfortunately, I had become quite good at reading his emotions over the years, as he is my dad, and now, the god of wisdom seemed…uneasy. There was definitely something they weren't telling me.

"Mia? What is it?" Well, I still have to try.

"N-n-nothing." I narrowed my eyes. This had something to do with me; I was sure of it. But for now, the subject will have to be dropped, seeing as we were getting nowhere with the Tell-me-why-you're-acting-all-mysterious game. "So how do we earn" at that, I made air quotes, "the knowledge. I don't even know what we want to know!"

"We are trying to stop him." Lucas said. "And I don't think the gods will allow another shadow execration." At that, Thoth shook his head. Very definitely this time.

"The gods will not tolerate any more shadow execrations. Not even for Setne. And even if you _are_ crazy enough to do it," he glanced at us, "good luck tricking him to tell you his secret name and the location of his shadow."

"Do you know?" I demanded.

"Even I don't know. Nobody has ever seen Setne's shadow…And he never told anybody of his secret name. He was a madmen and a genius. And absolutely brilliant at what he's doing."

Somehow I found it hard to admire the ghost. Just another one of the ways I don't fit into the "like father, like daughter" category. Or "like mother, like daughter (my mother has the same personality).

"So there's no other way to do it?" Mia asked.

The god tilted his head sideways. "That's all the information I'm willing to give. Unless you want to earn the knowledge."

For once, Lucas, Mia and I had a silent agreement: Let's do this.

"We accept the challenge, whatever that is," Lucas said for us.

"Great!" Of course he knew we were going to accept, being the god of knowledge. "The-" He suddenly stopped and tilted his head sideways.

"It's very creative! How can it not be?" Thoth looked confused. Then my father spoke. It's him because he has a slightly different accent.

"Gods are not creative at all," he rolled his eyes. "Sending them to Elvis's house would just be a repeat of what you did 26 years ago." Then he turned to us. His eyes changed to their sparkly green again. "What can I say?" Kyle shrugged.

"I'm thinking our challenge is not going to be completely wiping Elvis's house off the face of Earth?" I asked, looking at both the god and the host at the same time, slipping into the Duat just a little bit. I like destroying things. The _ha-di_ spell is my favorite, but that didn't say much about me using it. Like I said, I'm very bad at speaking the Divine Words. The first time I managed to do that, I passed out for a week. Not fun, with the _ba _traveling to the most unhelpful places of all – The Land of the Demons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_A few days ago…_

I took a deep breath. "Let's do it."

Though I didn't like the path of Isis much, the other paths hadn't exactly worked out for me. I was desperate to find one that would actually sounded good to me. And fits my personality. So far, none did.

Sadie glanced warily at me. "You sure?" She had to supervise this since all the other attempts to find the path of a god/goddess ended up in…well, simply put, disaster. (Long, long story).

"Yes," I said, though I sounded doubtful myself. Would this really work, and I would finally find the right path for me?

"I was Isis's host," Sadie said, "I had access to her thought, and I don't think this kind of thing would work."

"It's worth another try."

"And what Divine Word are you going to summon this time?"

"Uh…I thought I'd try for the _Ha-di_ spell."

"Right now? You can't even do a simple one like _A'max_!"

"I could," I reminded her. "You just didn't believe it."

"Because it was too weak to consider a flame or fire at all," Sadie snorted.

"Besides," I ignored her, "that was a year ago. I'm much better now." It was true.

Apparently she could sense my stubbornness, because she just sighed with resignation. "All right. Try not to bring down the house."

'_Like I could,'_ I thought.

I closed my eyes and raised my brown staff, embroidered with hieroglyphic writings of ibises and other stuff with the head of a lion at the top, and concentrated on drawing magic from it. I tried to be careful with tapping into my own magic reserves, but like last time, I couldn't control it. I could feel myself starting to heat up. Too late to back down now. I spoke the single Divine Word.

"_Ha-di!_"I pointed my staff at the door of the room we were in.

The result? …A little more than I asked for. The door exploded, debris flying everywhere, but the room also exploded. The ceiling came crashing down, and the walls toppled over.

The last thing I saw before I lost conscious from the effects of overspent magic was Sadie hastily putting up a shield and then repairing the damage.

I woke up as a _ba_. I didn't care about the chicken form; I just liked the feeling of flying.

I let myself be carried away through the Duat, flying over spirits. Now that I have time to think, thoughts swirled in my head. Another failed attempt. Which path is the right one? Is there actually a thing such as a right path?

I got so lost in thought that I didn't realize I was at a particular place until a flower headed demon ran past me, chased by two lamp-headed demons. With a shudder, I realized I was in the Land of the Demons. The sky was an ominous red, streaked with the occasional lightning, and the ground was constantly shifting. There wasn't a lot of light in this particular part of the Duat, but I doubt it's because the demons wanted to save energy and reduce the amount of light bulbs used.

Back to my _ba_. Something was off in the Land of the Demons. One spot stayed the same, even though others have changed. On the spot stood a miniature white pyramid. In a glowing bubble above the pyramid hovered an amulet, though the details were really fuzzy. Then it flickered and turned into a demon sitting still. _Glamour._ Then the white pyramid was once again in view, the bubble above it surrounded by very powerful and protective hieroglyphs. Even Sadie never used them. And the weirdest part: the demons ignored it completely. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but it was impressive. A small, bright, and white glowing stone in the middle of Demon Land, and they couldn't see it! Or it was a powerful glamour. But then how did I see it? Even my _ba_ form can get headaches, given the right circumstances. (Like this one).

As if drawn towards the thing, I walked forward and touched it. Or attempted to. Two things happened at once: the thing suddenly burnt my bird claw/hand, and I was sent tumbling backwards, straight into an insect headed demon. Nasty. The demon jumped in surprise as I tried to scramble up, but before he could do anything else, the land of the Demons disappeared, and I woke with a start in the infirmatory.

"You should rest," Jaz, our healer, said. "And never try a _ha-di_ spell like that again."

"Of course," I mumbled, still pondering over the _ba _trip. Who sent me there? Or did I send myself there? Horrifying thought….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_End of Flashback_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No. He was a great magician, and it wouldn't be fair if his house got pounded for a second time." Thoth, er, I mean, my dad, interrupted me from my thoughts.

"So where would we be going this time?"

"The Land of the Demons." If gods had a sense of humor, it wasn't very obvious. Or it was totally different from mortals.

"Excuse me? That place?" I said that, of course.

"You are trained magicians. And what fun would it be without a little adventure?"

"And what are we looking for…in that _place_?" Mia asked.

"The most powerful amulet, made by Iskandar," Thoth obviously respected him too. He waved his hand, and a door of darkness appeared.

I gave my dad a glare that said, "You better be kidding," and jumped into the portal after Lucas and Mia.

Correction: Thoth is never kidding. We were deposited in the middle of demon paradise.

"How could he? This is humongous! A single amulet?" Mia looked around in despair.

"First things first," Lucas decided. "We would need something to blend in."

"I have an amulet for summoning ravens…"

Four minutes later, we were riding on the backs of three big ravens. They were magical. And big. And hopefully the demons will see this as three demons with raven heads.

"Now how do we get here?"

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. No, it couldn't be…Or could it? That _ba _trip…the glowing amulet…of course that's the one we're looking for, but why did it appear in my dream?

"Uh…I might be able to help with that…" I told them about the dream.

Mia frowned. "How can you know the exact location? Landscapes change in this place all the time."

"That didn't change," I insisted. "I'm sure of that."

"Okay, but can you lead us there?"

I hesitated. "I'll try…Just watch out for a glowing miniature Egyptian artifact. It'll be there."

We flew on for hours. Or what seemed like hours. Time was irregular in the Duat. It could be fast forwarded while we're here, or it could be slowed down and compressed. Once or twice, I thought I caught sight of something, or _things,_ following us, but when I turned to look, they were gone. We dodged winged demons playing tag (only a more violent version). I lost count of how many times I thought we were lost, but finally I found a glowing sphere of light, which vanished as quickly as it started.

"Did you see that?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah; I think we're near."

The ravens landed us on top of a hill and immediately shrank down into an amulet. It's useful, but it wouldn't be used for a day.

"The real problem is…We can't touch it…It will burn you…"

Silence…

"_Maw!"_ Several cubic gallons of water splashed down on everything within a two feet radius. Unfortunately, that included some demons, who really quickly discovered that we were not, in fact, demons.

Three of them (with blade heads) charged while the other two jumped down from the hill.

I frantically tried to grab something from my bag in the Duat. The first demon charged at me, his head lowered so the blade was pointed at me. Three… My hands closed around a cylindrical surface. _'Come on!'_ I thought, _'grab the staff!' _Two…I pulled out the _khopesh_. One… I raised the curved sword just in time to stop myself from getting skewered. Mia and Lucas weren't much better. Mia had successfully summoned her staff and was now dodging two demons.

"_Ha-wi!"_ The hieroglyph for strike burned above her, and the two demons tumbled back, crashing into a sharp-looking rock and bursting into dust. Mia staggered, exhausted.

Lucas apparently tried to summon his Horus avatar, but this layer of the Duat obviously affected the god's powers. He was now throwing his wand like a boomerang at the other two attacking demons while desperately holding his staff and trying to speak the Divine Word for "halt and turn back". Unlucky for him, Lucas was never good at speaking any Divine Words. He was even worse than me, which was saying a lot.

"_A'max!"_ A hieroglyph burned in the air above Lucas's attackers as they suddenly caught on fire. Mia managed to speak another hieroglyph. Drawing energy from her staff, I assumed.

I wasn't doing any better than Lucas. The force of the blow against the _khopesh _sent me tumbling backwards. My head crashed onto a rock. Pain shot through me as skull connected with the rock. Grunting with effort, I managed to throw the sword at the demon. Great. Now I was weaponless. The throw had little force behind it, only managing to anger Mr. Sharp Blade further. He slashed with his wrist blades, but I was a little faster.

"_Drowah!" _It was a relatively easy one to do, and instantly a boundary appeared. I passed out.

"Hey, wake up." Two voices shouted at once.

"Wha-" I opened my eyes. Mia was standing over me, the amulet in her hand.

"How…"

"Later," she said grimly.

Two swirling black doors opened, and she helped me climb through one of them. Or was it both? I was having double visions of things.

Thoth, in his usual annoying way, was sitting on the other side. "There's barbecue," he offered helpfully.

"…"

**Okay, so…Was Thoth out of character? Cause I honestly don't know what in character means for him.**

**And I got semi-writer's block trying to come up with a test Thoth would most likely do. It was first Elvis's house, then the Labyrinth (don't know where that came from), then George Washington's house, and then…well, you get the idea. I finally settled on The land of the Demons. Forgive me if it looks like a repeat from the book. I promise the plot won't be.**

**The real action starts soon! I can't wait! XD Please review!**

**And responses to reviews:**

**PerseusSlayerOfMedusa: Thanks! =)**

**Anon: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Kane Chronicles and PJO even though I haven't gotten to that part yet)**

**Just a note: Thoth is not really that mean, so…This chapter will clear it up=)**

"_There's barbecue…"_

"…" [**Sorry, I just had to add that. It's funny! And now, the **_**real**_** ending to chapter two…]**

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"All three of you did great." Thoth seemed a little nicer. Maybe it's because we passed the test… "Now, you need to rest and heal. We'll talk. _Ha-tep_."

'Be at peace.'

For once, I didn't argue. I went to a sofa and collapsed instantly. _It's quite nice. Soft, comfy_, _and _… I drifted off, thinking about furniture.

I woke up feeling quite refreshed. Now that my head didn't hurt, I had a god to sort out. I got up and walked outside.

Thoth was smoking barbecues. Sitting behind him, Mia and Lucas were already awake.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Oh, not too long. A couple of hours." He said cheerfully.

"That _is_ a long time, but we have more important matters to discuss, like why you sent us there?"

"That? It was just a stimulation." He set the barbecue down on a table and sat down.

"A what?" I took a bite of barbecue. It tasted good, but I wasn't paying attention.

"An illusion in the Duat."

"The Duat is not an illusion." I stated.

"It is, if you get the place." Mia explained patiently. She must have so much patience, but I can't help and wonder if it's running out, dealing with me.

"So, other gods and magicians can make a 'stimulation' too?" I didn't need any more fake demon paradises, thank you very much.

"Yes and no," He admitted. "The other gods and goddesses can sense this level of the Duat, but they cannot see it. As for magicians…Well, Setne was a genius example."

"He discovered this place?"

"He found this place, which should have stayed hidden."

"Excuse me, but why are you telling us this?" Lucas interrupted.

"…I suppose…You deserve to know that." I got the feeling that was not what he was going to say.

"But we are getting off topic here." He turned to Mia. "You have mastered the divine words quite well. You," Thoth said to Lucas, "just need a little more confidence in summoning the Horus avatar. Don't let those demons distract you."

"How'd you know?"

"_Agh!_" Said one of the baboons taking a break from the intense-looking basketball game.

"Yes; I was getting to that. I sent three baboons to follow you three. Baboons have special magic, after all. They'll be more than enough for some demons."

So that's what's been following us all along. The baboon jumped onto the table and sat next to the barbecue, hugging his basketball. He threw it at the hoop from here, and, surprisingly (not), made the shot. His buddies went crazy trying to get the ball, pushing and growling at each other. ADHD part of me wondering again: Why would they like basketball? I mean, there's soccer, volleyball, hockey…All kinds of sports…But ignore that. I'm just slightly attention deficit, not all the way. This drives Lucas crazy. So proud of it. [Hey! Owwwww….].

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Well, sorry for the sudden change in recorders (not the instrumental kind), but Jen had, ah, an encounter with the very horrifying creature known as Lucas. [Don't deny the truth. You are horrifying. And I could just manage to say that with a straight face]. So while Lucas is busy chasing her [good luck, cousin], I got the mic. Which just proves, wisdom wins above all (wow, ironic on so many levels).

I believe I haven't given you a proper introduction yet. Oh, sure, of course Jen gave you one, but that's hardly accurate, to say in the least. I do have wavy black hair, and amber colored eyes, but that invisibility spell is not my favorite. I just use it a lot. I fancy _N'dah_, the protection spell. It's my specialty; I've gotten very good at it recently. That's not much of an introduction, huh? Okay, so, let's see…all about me…I am co-leader of the Twenty-First Nome, blood of the Pharaohs (but you already know that), and I like bacon. Just some random facts. I'm not exactly tall, or short. More of in the middle.

That aside, where did she leave off? Oh, let's see: the amulet that turned out to be Nile silt, the talk with Thoth, barbecue, and, yes, the baboon.

And Jen said I looked patient? Huh. Completely opposite of what I felt, of course. She should get better at reading emotions.

Back to the story.

"Then do ibises have special magic too?" Jen wondered. That girl is severely ADHD. Or else she just acts like it to annoy Lucas and me. The latter one is the answer, of course, but I couldn't wonder… Never mind. Better not to. And while Lucas is busy chasing her right now (present time), I'll even admit this: over the years, she's grown to be like a sister to me. Not just an initiate anymore. A very annoying one at that, but a sister nonetheless.

Back to the story (for the second time. And for the record, I do not have ADHD [Oh, haha. Recording. Record. I get the silly pun. Now please let me talk. And what happened to Jen, anyways?]).

"I have the paper somewhere…" He pulled out a research book titled "The Magical powers of Baboons and other Creatures of Thoth" from his library shelf. "But I doubt you'd like to read it."

"Ah, no, thanks." She backed away slowly. Wise girl.

"Are you trying to change the subject?" I growled at her. I'm not perfect, and even though I have more patience tan Lucas and Jen combined, it's still draining my reserves of that to always get away from the subject.

"No, I'm just this way." Too true.

"Back to topic? We have a deal." This time, I glared at Thoth.

"Ah, yes. The other way."

"How did Carter and Sadie do it last time?"

"That, I cannot tell you. The gods forbid it, actually. But a certain magician can."

"The mysterious magician that was involved in the battle? The one nobody would tell us anything about? Let's see…What are the chances of him/her telling us now, assuming we can even find the person?" This was going nowhere. He's still not telling everything.

"He's a leader in one of the Nomes. Shouldn't be too hard to find."

"Thank you, Mr. Helpful. That narrows it down to…not much. Just about 360 people. Minus the First Nome and the Twenty-First Nome, 358." I know I shouldn't be mad at Thoth, but after finding out the amulet was actually a _stimulation _(a.k.a. fake), it was hard not to.

"Not any Nome. The 210th Nome."

"What's so special about this one?" Then it struck me. Growing up as initiates, we had to memorize the number and location of every single Nome around the world. Of course, it helps if you can summon the map from the Duat too. The 210th Nome is the one in Rome, Italy. The third most important one, just after the 200th Nome in Athens, Greece, and the First Nome, of course, in Cairo, Egypt. (Lucas said I'm just like my dad, Carter. [You are just asking for it…]).

If that part of the future – the foggy one - is true, then…There would be others…right in the spot we're going to go. I just wonder if the magicians know it too.

"Yes," he said, probably reading my mind or calculating what I was thinking. Both are not good choices. "You'll have to summon a portal."

"Wait," Lucas interrupted, "we're supposed to walk up to the Nome, hope they don't hate the Kane family, and ask them about the very event they are forbidden to talk about?"

"You get the idea!" Thoth beamed.

"That's great and all," Jen said, "but you can't expect Setne to just let himself be captured the same way as last time, can you?" Good point. [Hey! Where did you come from? You do know the mic's still mine, right?].

"Of course! But what's an adventure without a few risks?"

"You promised to tell us how to defeat him!"

"And I will. The magician-which-I-cannot-tell-you-the-name-of that you're going to see has the key to defeating him."

"Key, as in, physical item, or virtual idea?" I wondered.

"Both." Thoth said. "But he is very smart. He wouldn't trust you guys at first glance. You'll have to earn his respect. And good luck with that."

"One last thing," I interrupted, "that stimulation place in the Duat…is it possible for…"

"-magicians to manipulate them?" Thoth finished for me.

"…yes…"

"Only if you know the place you want to make a stimulation of really well. And don't try another place in the Duat. The power will be too intense for a mortal. Death by spontaneous combustion is not something I want Anubis to be writing about on your obituary if you died."

"Thank you. It is so nice to know you have that much faith in me." That was some heavy sarcasm.

Apparently both Thoth and Jen's dad never heard of sarcasm, because he beamed at my comment. "Of course I'm helpful. Now, for the portal…" He pointed his hand at thin air, and once again, a rectangle of pure darkness appeared. This time, hopefully, to Italy, and _not _the fake place in the Duat.

"I wish you good luck on your trip. You three are quite wise."

"T-th-thank you." I was caught off guard.

"Hey, um…Can you guys go ahead? I'll be just a moment…" Jen said nervously. Nervous? That wasn't like her. She tended to charge into things, _khopesh _first.

"Sure," Lucas said, and we shared a glance, which went something like:

_She hasn't seen her father in a while…Poor girl…Come on, let's go…_

_You're right._

_I'm always right._

I rolled my eyes and stepped through the portal, followed by Lucas.

We tumbled out of the portal and landed on, well, the Colosseum. On top of the thing. Fortunately, before we could fall 10 feet straight down onto the thing, I summoned the power of Nut and made the wind support our fall so we went down slowly. It _is_ her domain, after all.

We landed softly on a deserted part of the Colosseum (on ground level).

The sky was a very clear shade of blue today, so I guess my patron goddess is happy.

"Thanks," I murmured to her, though I wasn't sure if she heard me or not.

Back to the Colosseum. Even though I wasn't an architect, I could still see that's it's an impressive structure. The columns no doubt looked intimidating back then. Even now, tourists swarmed the place, taking pictures.

"Come on, we'd better get out of here before people start noticing us and calling security."

"What about Jen?"

"And I thought you were the leader," I muttered.

"Well, then, let's dress up as tourists and wait for her. The portal's still open, though I don't know how long that will last." I glanced up. He was right. It was still on top of the Colosseum.

I snapped my fingers. The glamor immediately made it look like a storm cloud. Maybe not the best in a clear sky, but still okay.

I grinned at my cousin. "Dress up as tourists? You do realize we don't have any Euros, right? And no stealing."

"Fine." He sighed. "Why does she like glamors so much?" He mumbled under his breath.

"Why does he like 'borrowing' things so much?" I countered. Lucas looked at me in surprise.

"You win. Glamors it is then."

"Great!" I snapped my fingers again. Glamors were so easy to do. One of the easiest types of magic to master. It doesn't take much magic to do either. The down side: magicians can see through the weak illusion.

I looked at Lucas. He had white-rimmed sunglasses, a camera, jeans, and a blue T-shirt. Very tourist-like.

"Don't laugh! You should look at yourself!" I didn't realize I was laughing until he said that, but I looked down and gasped. A flowery dress, really? And high heels? Another downside to glamors: you don't decide specifically your outfit.

"I guess this is typical tourist clothes," I sighed. "Let's go find somewhere to sit."

We walked past the mob of tourists and sat down on a bench.

"So, any idea where to find the 210th Nome?" I asked.

"Look for a magical mansion hidden by glamor." He stated.

"Isn't th-"

"Mia! Lucas! There you are!" Jen said happily, running towards us. "Come on! Let's go!"

I heard the sound of footsteps pounding and people shouting, growing louder as they got nearer.

"What did you do?" I know it's Jen that caused all this, no doubt about it.

"Nothing serious. Let's go!"

"We'll talk about this. Later." I said sternly, glaring at her. Jen wasn't unnerved at all by that.

"Sure," she grinned.

"Now, if you guys are finished arguing, I just want you to know that whoever's chasing Jen just saw us." Lucas said calmly.

"Run!" I said, and we took off across the road.

_Ten minutes later…_

"I think we lost them," I panted. We were in an alleyway, complete with Victorian styled houses on either side.

"That was FUN!" Jen squeaked.

"So, what in the world were they chasing you for?" Lucas said before a fight could break out. [Don't deny it.]

"I don't know. Apparently I landed in some restricted section and, well, security thought I was a robber or something. I can't imagine why they'd think that though." Jen shrugged.

I wasn't so sure. She looked pretty…_unique_ with silver highlights and black linen clothing.

As in unique, I meant stand out.

"You can take away the glamor now. We won't need it," Lucas said.

"Of course." I snapped my fingers again, and at once, my horrible tourist façade disappeared. "Now, people, we have a Nome to find."

"Who's that?" Jen asked suspiciously, glancing at a very familiar yet unfamiliar woman.

I drew my staff and wand. Can't be anyone good…Or could she?

**Semi-cliffhanger. Please review and tell me who she might be. =)**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is for Macbud94, because Dante is an awesome OC.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KC or PJO or any mythological creatures.**

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Thank you for giving back the mic. I do not like being chased. Anyways, I'm okay now, except for some bruises, sprained ankles, and a scraped arm. All of which Jaz can fix, but seeing as we're recording, I guess I'll have to wait for it to be over. And Mia left off…Oh, I see. She likes dramatic things. Leaving that there, well, that's dramatic enough for her.

Before I get to the strange woman, I'll go back a little bit. To that little conversation with Thoth. Or you could call it a father-daughter bonding time, but it didn't feel like it.

"Dad…"

"Are you okay?" He asked me, concerned.

"No…I mean, yes…I mean, no, not really."

"It's about the path of the gods, isn't it?" He tilted his head.

"How did you know?" Do gods have mind-reading powers?

"I'm the god of knowledge." Oh, duh.

"Yes," I finally admitted, "I don't know what's right for me anymore…And everybody already chose a path. Even the three-year-olds chose their path. I feel so left out. And when I try to pick one…They never work out…I envy Carter and Sadie. They didn't even have to choose."

"But you're my daughter," he said softly. "Children of Thoth…They find their own paths, and it's always hard."

"So there's no chance you could give me a clue about my path?" I asked unhappily.

He laughed. "Knowledge is earned; I cannot simply tell you. What would be the point of that? But I'll tell you this. You have a special path."

"Great. Nice to know. Thank you. Now, I'll just go after them and try to see my special path."

"And Jen?" He asked. It's not Thoth, but my dad speaking this time.

I turned around. "What is it, father?"

"Be careful," his kaleidoscope eyes look genuinely concerned.

My eyes widened. This was the first time he said something like that. "Don't worry; I will."

Then I stepped through the portal and landed on top of the Colosseum, slipped down…right in front of a security guard. Smooth landing. And you know the rest of the events.

Now, the woman was approaching rapidly. She had a skin suit with patterns that kept on changing and black hair which was tied into a braid. In her hands were two knives, and she looked like she could use them. Very well.

"_Heqat." _I summoned my rod and wand from the Duat. This time, it worked.

"Who are you?" Mia asked suspiciously.

"Bast, the goddess of cats." So that's why she looked so familiar!

"What are you doing here?" Mia eyed the cat goddess warily. It was our first time meeting her, after all. "Shouldn't the gods be riding the sun boat with Ra?"

She laughed. "Oh, dear. Didn't Sadie and Carter tell you? I'm excused from my duty as protector of Ra to protect you three. It's also my duty to protect the children of the pharaohs."

"Um, no, they didn't tell us." I said.

She waved her hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter now, does it? Now, that backstabbing ghost, too smart for his own good. And that magician. The only way he would do all this is because he has already found a way to escape Osiris eventually."

"Which is why we're going to the 210th Nome to learn how we can defeat him. Them." Kucas corrected hastily at the glare from Mia.

Bast sniffed indignantly at the word "210th Nome". "They have unnaturally strong wards to keep out gods, even by magician standards. No surprise there, with the Nome being where it is…Still, not many magical places welcome the gods anymore. Understandable, but sad."

"I'm sorry, but I think you lost me there somewhere," I said while Mia had the same look whenever someone talked to her about the 'location of the 210th Nome'.

"Never mind. As long as you don't anger them, you should be fine." Bast muttered. "Meet me at the tourist shop by the Colosseum."

"Which one?" Lucas asked.

"The one with the sign 'cat food'! But then, in Italian, it's 'Cibo per gatti'."

"Uh…okay, sure." I can tell Lucas wasn't sure whether Bast was joking or not.

With that, she turned into a cat – not Muffin; she died a long time ago – and bounded down the street.

"Rome is pretty big if you walk on foot, and we don't have a boat." Which pretty much explained the hopeless situation.

"You know, they mi-" whatever Mia was about to say was cut short when a dozen people tumbled out of a portal, all shouting in Italian and pointing their staffs at us.

"I'm guessing they're part of the 210th Nome?" I asked.

"Looks like it." Mia sighed.

"Well, this makes it a lot easier. Now we don't have to find them!" Aren't I the optimist?

"Yeah, sure," Lucas mumbled. Then, addressing the magicians, he said, "We're not going to harm the 210th Nome in any way. We just want to talk to your leader."

I doubt they understood English, because most looked confused. Some mumbled "210th Nome", and "leader", but they didn't seem to be attacking us. [Yes, I can see that much, Mia.]

"Nomi?" One of the magicians, a man in brown linen clothing, stepped forward and said to us. Two thing raced through my mind at that time: One, if his staff turned into a glowing light saber, he could be Obi-Wan Kenobi [what? He certainly looked like it!], and Two: I didn't understand a thing he said. (you can guess which one the ADHD part of me thought).

"What did you say?" Mia looked at the man with a confused expression.

"Non importa. Vieni con me." If I didn't understand what he said, the hand gesture was certainly unmistakable.

He shouted an order, and the remaining eleven magicians immediately surrounded us.

"I guess that means they want us to go with them," I said.

"Obviously," Lucas muttered. [I cannot believe it. Moments like now, and you still tease me?]

The magician walked over to a nearby sphinx statue and raised his staff, chanting. Pretty soon, a swirling sand vortex appeared, and we went through first, closely followed by the magicians.

**L**

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Oh, so Jen gives me the microphone right _now?_ In the middle of a chapter? [I know last time, but that's, er, different.] (Mia just said a.k.a. I was chasing her [yeah, and that too…]). (Oh, okay, so according to Jen, the reason she gave me the mic was because, how did she put it, she would not describe the 210th Nome in excruciatingly painful details). So I can, huh? I'll try my best.

Oh, wait, this is my first time recording, so I should probably do an intro. I'm Lucas Kana, Blood of the Pharaohs, combat magician, scribe of the Twenty-First Nome, blah, blah, blah and all that stuff. And magician of the House of Life. Duh.

My mother is Sadie Kane, and my dad is Walt Sto-no, Anubis, no, Walt, no, both!

My favorite weapon is a _khopesh_, I like to look calm, even when I'm not, and my favorite color is blue. There, you know all about me, now.

Now, the recording. We went through the portal and landed in a pretty remote part of Rome. Emphasis on _pretty _remote. There's still some houses, but all in all, less crowded than usual. The houses looked comfortable enough, and they were all built away from the big mansion. Correction: the 210th Nome.

I spat out some sand (portals, unfortunately, are made of sand. Except for the portals the gods make) and looked at the mansion.

It was huge. Two statues of Thoth with an ibis head stood on either side of the doorway, and the Nome was all black, except for some gold, green, silver, and blue streaks. The windows were big, and sparks shot out of some of them. Limestone columns support the front porch, and lines of hieroglyphs were inscribed into the walls for protection.

Now that I looked closely, the guards we met all had hieroglyphs painted on their faces, though a large, noisy griffin approaching you in the Duat shouldn't be too hard to spot. Or any other type of monster.

The lead magician gestured toward the entrance. I exchanged a glance with Mia and Jen and went in. Or attempted to. The statues of Thoth blocked the path and said, in a calm voice, "Welcome to the 210th Nome. What is the name of its leader?"

"Uh…"

"That is not correct. Stay away or you will be incinerated. Have a great day."

"Aspetta! Il nome del nostro leader è Dante Volpe!" The magician said behind me.

"That is correct. Incineration process canceled." The metallic Thoth statues said.

We walked into a hallway of some sort, except it was anything _but _a hallway. Statues of gods lined either side, and under each was a slab of limestone carved with hieroglyphics talking all about the path of that god and which specialty is good for that. Compared to what my mom and Carter talked about in the recordings back then, the House of Lifehas really changed a lot.

Hieroglyphics floated on the walls too, but I had no idea what they meant. I don't exactly do that kind of stuff, after all. It's Mia's job to recognize them.

We walked down a corridor and turned so many times I lost track of, and sometime halfway through I got the feeling we were underground. Mia's expression helped. She looked terrified the deeper we went. I couldn't blame her. With her patron goddess being the goddess of the sky, she hates underground places, but I could tell she was trying really hard not to let her fear show.

We passed initiates following the paths of Isis, Horus, Geb, Osiris, Thoth, Ptah, Wadjet, Sekhmet, Khonsu, Neith (this time, with no pockets involved), and even Hathor. [No, thanks, Jen. I'm, fine not knowing how the magicians following the path of Hathor fight. Really, I don't need to know. You're too kind.]

Finally, we arrived at the dining table, complete with couches and a huge TV. It looked pretty comfortable. A few tortoiseshell tabby cats slept on the couch, and I wondered if they were magical or not. I doubt it.

The most impressive creature of all was the black jaguar lounging on the couch, tearing up a clay shabti with its very sharp claws, and by_ impressive_, I meant _creepy_. [Yes, I can be scared of something…why are you asking that in the first place?]

Its two yellow pupils are like two spotlights in the dark, and muscles rippled under the sleek black pelt as the jaguar got up and jumped off the couch in one graceful leap. When it caught stranger scents (a.k.a. us), however, it growled, showing off is sharp canine teeth and retractable claws. (Jen says I shouldn't mention how sharp they are again. [What's wrong with repeating things?]).

"Easy there, Umbra. Don't tear up visitors unless they're identified as a potential threat," a voice with an Italian accent behind us called out, and the black jaguar immediately backed off, still growling at us.

We spun around to see a man with messy light brown hair and golden eyes. He wore a long, sand colored trench coat and has a scar on his right cheek. He looked about twenty, though I'm not so good at telling the age.

"Cute kitty, isn't she?" He asked affectionately.

"Is she…real, or is she…magical, like, wax made, and similar to Philip of Macedonia?" Jen asked_.' Oh, no', _I thought. _'Not a good time'._ Her and her big mouth.

But he simply laughed as if that was an amusing thought. "Wax? No, no. Of course she's real, and she'd appreciate it if you stop calling her a wax one." He was right. Umbra had growled when she heard the word wax, and she was now taking slow steps toward Jen with her claws extended.

"You know we're from America?" I decided to stay away from both the subject and the jaguar herself.

"The statues of Thoth identifies where visitors are from and talk in their language. Technology mixed with just a little bit of magic."

"Pardon me for asking, but I thought magic didn't mix well with technology." Mia said hesitantly. We really were getting off topic.

"Which is why it's amazing. A magician following the path of Thoth invented it, but you are not here to talk about that, are you?" He said with a smile. For a strange moment, I got the feeling he already knew what we were going to say, but that's impossible. Humans are unpredictable, especially annoying cousins and even more annoying friends. [I can't believe it either. I just called Jen a _friend?_]

"Right, sorry. I'm Mia Kane, that's my brother Lucas Kane, and this is Jen. We're from the Twenty First Nome."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm Dante Volpe, and if you traveled all the way here just to see me, then you must have something important to say." Then, he said something in Italian to the magicians, and they disappeared.

"Now," Dante began, "I haven't been a good host. Feel free to sit, and we'll discuss this." He motioned to the couch. Something wasn't right. He looked too at ease, for a magician who doesn't trust strangers too easily. Almost like a sixth instinct.

We sat on the couch. Clay shabtis immediately offered us drinks, but I didn't feel so thirsty right now.

"So…the ghost is back." Nobody needed to be reminded of his name. "And you were there last time. We need to destroy him again, and this time, make sure he stays that way." Mia said.

Dante's cheerful expression vanished. "He will be prepared this time."

"Thoth said you have both the physical item to defeat him and the verbal item."

Dante nodded. "That's true." He patted the jaguar, who looked content sitting on her owner's lap. It would've been a cute scene, except for the fact that Umbra could bite people's heads off. [You're welcome for the mental image. Anytime, Jen.]

"What is the physical item?" Mia asked.

"The amulet." Dante took out an amulet in the shape of a jackal from the Duat. The amulet was made of black soil, as far as I could see (though how he held it together was beyond me…), and a picture of a _seba_ with a circle around it was on it. The symbol for "afterlife." **[A/N: I researched it; it's actually true. And **_**seba **_**means 'star'. The **_**seba **_**with the circle around it is the symbol of the Duat.]**

"The _what_ now?" Jen asked.

"To be able to cast an execration spell on a ghost, you have to make him solid."

"I think you lost me," I muttered.

"I'm sorry. To put it simply, creatures that are alive cannot touch ghosts; they'll just go through them." He explained. "So to actually cast a spell on something, or some_one_ you cannot touch, there has to be a magical item or death magic involved."

"And that amulet could do it…how?" I asked.

"It allows the wearer to have a few minute's time for whatever spell with the dead they have to do, though it's really magic consuming." He explained patiently. He must be very patient. After all, we drove my mom mad once… just by asking questions…Not pretty when my dad found out…but that's another story.

"Lord Iskander made the amulet," Dante continued. "He did a favor for Anubis, a long time ago, and he gave Iskander the amulet as a reward. He gave me the amulet when I was training in the First Nome…before he went to the Land of the Dead."

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely.

"You didn't do it, so you don't need to feel sorry. Let's move on. The verbal part is the actual execration…"

"Oh," I said. "But to execrate someone, don't you have to have their secret name?"

"Yes," Dante agreed, "which was why I only managed to bound him with the ribbons of Hathor and take him to Lord Osiris's judgment courtroom last time. Which was why he returned. I knew that wasn't the end of Setne." His voice turned bitter.

"Do you think there's anybody else besides himself who know Setne's secret name?" Mia asked.

Dante laughed. "No, he's too smart for that. Besides, his wife was never told of it, but I will come with you. The 210th Nome will not be safe until the threat has been settled. I _know _how we destroyed him last time, and mark my words: it'll be very unlikely that he do the same mistake this time."

"We're guessing that they will go after the most powerful gods/goddesses, but they'd be foolish to go to the Hall of the Gods. They'll never make it." Mia thought aloud.

"George and Setne plan to divide and conquer, just like Apophis did so many years ago. They'll take down the gods one by one."

"How can you tell?" Jen asked curiously.

He shrugged. "It's what I'd do. This is the safest way to ensure no resistance."

"They would aim for the most powerful god first?" Ra? No, not possible. He's too powerful to be beaten by mere ghosts and magicians…right?

"No. They'd take down his lieutenants first." I could see it happening.

"Horus?" Jen asked incredulously. I stiffened. I hope my patron god can withstand the attack. I know that by strength, he would, but Setne has the Book of Thoth, and that's not exactly combat fighting.

"Horus? No. Isis? No. Thoth…No, he has powerful wards. And certainly not Anubis or Osiris. They'd probably control the ghost before Setne can say '_ren!_'" Dante mused. Then his expression changed, morphing to a horrified one. "No…not Set!"

"Set? He's the god of evil!" I said before I could stop myself.

"And Ra's royal lieutenant." The magician said grimly.

"Still, he's the god of evil!" I said.

"There is one thing I'm afraid I forgot to mention." Dante said grimly. "I was the Eye of Set."

~~~~~~~~o0O0o~~~~~~~~

Wow. Talk about revelations.

Jen, on the other hand looked at him with new respect. "Must be fun!"

"Yes, very fun. As for Set, I know where he is…most of the time. But it's too late today. I'll arrange rooms for you, and we'll leave first thing tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Now, you really should taste Italian food. The olives are really good. That, and they have a long history of rivalry."

"Olives have a long history of rivalry?" I asked incredulously. That didn't make sense at all.

"It's another story for later. Come on, I'll show you the dining room." Dante stood up as the jaguar jumped off his lap, following him.

"One last thing?" Mia asked.

He turned around.

"This George…which god's path does he follow?"

"Thoth, of course."

**First of all, I apologize for the crappy Italian. The translation was done by Google Translate.**

**Second of all, I couldn't resist making the statues of Thoth mechanical. I can imagine them saying that as they try to incinerate people. I know magicians and technology don't usually get along, but there's exceptions…The presence of Thoth protects the mechanical things from getting damaged by magic. After all, he has so many computers in his pyramid…**

**Because George is so clever, he follows the path of Thoth. Of course, he no longer does that. He's gone rogue now.**

**And third of all, please review! They mean a lot to me! Just one click of the button 'Review this Chapter', please?**

**I have to write my other story, so bye, for now.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, it's been a long time…And I'm finally updating…I know; I'm horrible. I was at China for 2 months, but now I'm back…Well, hope you enjoy the latest chapter.**

**I took down chapter five and redid it…So here's the newest version.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or KC.**

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Umbra led us through the maz-, sorry, 210th Nome. I guess you get used to strange things happening after you become an initiate. We passed more rooms (and some a lot bigger than rooms). There was everything you need in order to learn how to be a magician in here, from writing hieroglyphs to making clay shabtis.

Which brought back _very_ bad memories back in Brooklyn. Years ago, Sadie created the shabti Thermos, but as she got better at shabti-making, she…how to put this lightly, _modified_ Thermos so he would be a little less crazy than usual. He would still go around the mansion yelling "Exterminate!", except for this time, he'd zap unsuspecting initiates taking cookies from the jar (okay, maybe not so unsuspecting) at night unconscious until…well, until morning. [Shut up. The cookies are really good. I'm not saying anything.] Sadie's really proud of that little trick. Of course, she thinks it's funny.

So taking cookies from the cookie jar at night became something for initiates who are really good at bypassing Psycho Thermos only. Sometimes I suspect she put the Thermos Exterminator there just for that reason. [Of course I got a cookie! What makes you think I wouldn't?].

Gradually, the hallway widened into a dining area, with a table large enough to seat ten people. Umbra leapt onto the table, right next to Dante's seat. There, she sat contentedly, her paws tucked in front of her.

~~~~~~~~~o0O0o~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was great, even though I couldn't pronounce half of the foods I ate. After that, a shabti servant led us to the rooms where we'd sleep for today.

I looked at my room. It was simple. A bed and some tables. There was some wax, twine, papyrus, and magic chalk.

The last thing I remember before going into sleep is wishing I wouldn't have any dreams involving Egyptian gods, creatures, or just unusual dreams in general (though my _ba_ will probably go some place extreme.)

Good news: I didn't have any dreams having to do with Egyptian mythology. Bad news: I woke up at six thinking about my quest ahead. Maybe it's because this is my first quest, but I'm definitely _not _a morning person. This was exciting. Not a lot of initiates get to go visit another nome!

As for Set, from what Sadie and Carter have said about him, he seemed ... _playful_ (most of the time). Like…playfully evil. [Mia said those two words don't go together. For once, I agree with her, but they really do describe Set.]

I looked at the clock again. Six thirty. Darn. Having nothing else to do, I went into the hallway. Initiates were already studying…Whatever they were studying. A boy who looked no more than six was speaking softly to a snake, and two girls were studying ancient scrolls, their noses buried in it.

Somehow, without meaning to, I made my way to the library. My first impression: it was huge, big enough to fit the size of two football fields. For a moment I wondered how it's possible that the library can be this big (the mansion did not look that big on the outside), but of course, it must have a very large space-extending spell placed onto it. I _do_ read spells from time to time. Library shabtis hurried about, dusting everything they can find: books, shelves, and the occasional initiate.

I really wish they had those helpful tourist maps with the labels "you are here!" I didn't want to miss breakfast (or the quest) just because I was lost in the 210th Nome. If Mia and Lucas had known this, they would never let me hear the end of it.

I was saved from further embarrassment by Umbra. I'm really starting to like the jaguar. She led me to the breakfast table once again. Strange how nobody thinks there's anything out of the ordinary with following a big cat through a magical glowing mansion.

Dante was already there, and so was Lucas.

"Hi," I nodded a greeting to them. "Where's Mia?"

"She said she had something to do and left. We're supposed to meet back with her and Bast at the Cibo per gatti." His answer only left me even more curious, but just then, another thought occurred to me.

"Will Umbra be going?"

"Yes, but she's not going to like the cat food store. Umbra prefers to catch her own prey, though there's none here." Dante took a sip of his coffee, spooned in with generous amounts of honey.

"Where _does_ she go to catch her food?"

"There's a room in the nome designed just for her; it's based on jungles encircling the Amazon."

"Oh." I assumed he meant the Amazon rainforest, not the Amazon website.

"But every once in a month, I take her to the outskirts of the Amazon, just so she could practice her hunting skills."

A mental image popped into my mind of magicians carrying an ancient relic of a Sphinx into a remote part of the Amazon forest. Of course, they could just ask the servant clay statues in the library to take the sphinx and put it somewhere in the jungle.

We ate breakfast, consisting of bread and tea, and left the nome.

Dante had arranged it so the nome would be left in the hands of his friend while he was gone, a magician following the path of Khonsu.

"I know the store. It's just fifteen minutes of walk away." Was it just coincidence, or did Umbra growl when she heard the word "store"? But then, Khufu understood us (though I never could master baboon speak myself, much less understand a word he's saying). My mind wondered if magical jaguars had their own language, and if so, did Dante speak it? Did every single kind of magical Egyptian animal have their own language? Suddenly I felt sorry for the animal charmers.

Without realizing it, we've arrived at the cat food store. Umbra curled her lips with distaste and looked as if she'd rather be tearing the place apart. In fact, she probably would have if Dante hadn't said something to her in Italian. Then, she just resorted to sliding out her claws and looking at the place with hatred. Note to self: never give members of the magical cat family any kitty food.

"They should be here…soon." Lucas added the last part uncertainly.

We waited for what was like forever. Finally, Mia and Bast ran to here, both showing signs of battle.

"Wha-" Bast cut off my unfinished question. "Let's go. Now!"

We all moved out, and Bast borrowed a Honda Odyssey. We were driving off with it just as a person emerged from the shop and started yelling at Bast in Italian. Obviously, he likes his car where it is (and not driven by an ancient Egyptian goddess of cats).

"Sorry," Bast said in Italian, though she didn't sound very sorry about it. Suddenly, the driver stopped yelling and dialed something on his phone.

"Uh-oh," Bast said. "Let's get out of here." And she gunned on the gas pedal, accelerating the car at a very fast pace.

Once Bast got the car under control, she grinned at us in the rearview mirror, her eyes yellow and catlike, as ever.

"Dante! I haven't seen you since that incident with the other – eh, artifacts of Rome."

Even somebody like me can figure out Bast and Dante were trying to hide something. [Well, of course it's sarcasm…]

"It's good to see you, Bast," Dante said. Umbra jumped from the backseat onto the front seat – right into Bast's lap, which made her narrowly miss a couple of pedestrians. Umbra didn't seem to notice. She purred aloud and sat on Bast's lap all the way as she drove. Surprisingly, Bast managed to not do any major damages to Rome. Emphasis on _major_. The car scraped past buildings, other cars, and street vendors. The crazy also made my stomach feel like it was going to throw up my breakfast.

Somehow, I managed not to throw up. Finally, we rounded a corner and Bast finally saw fit to release her grip on the petal and hit the brakes. Hard. The car skidded, and a screech was torn from the tires. I got the uncomfortable feeling that Bast actually enjoyed it.

We saw a restaurant, so Bast decided to go there and explain what happened to Mia and her while we were waiting.

**Okay, I'm sorry. This one's really short. I promise the next one will be at least twice as long.**

**Please review.**

**It's really late. I should go to sleep now.**

**I'll try to update my other story too…**


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